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Week 27: Pop In and Out Again
Week 27: Pop In & Out Aagain Yearfall 12/12 - Yearfall 20/12 AS 1150 - AS 1158 When we left off... The Heroes of Thundertree (approval pending) arrived back in the Prime Material Plane at the site of a pale beacon - a ghostly echo of the light ignited in Argynvostholt. From the position of the beacon, you could more or less make out the Mysterious Tower where you arrived last time, and to the east there was the faintest glint of ice on the horizon. With a position somewhere between the ghostly tower and the glacier fields, you all realized that you were deep in Giant country and -- unfortunately -- that you had a little under a week until the next Full Moon. Making it back to Old Owl Well to get Madame Eva's potion in 6 days seemed unlikely, so you split the party and raced against the deadline... but not before taking the opportunity to kill some trolls and rob a giant, which turned into some kind of territory / fealty dispute between a Frost Giant and a Stone Giant. Unfortunately, you weren't able to gather any specifics because Ulfar is a big fan of stabbing. After picking over the Giants' treasure, Nars took off at full speed toward Old Owl Well. He could just about make the journey round trip from the ice field to the Vistani and back to Blackaxe (as the crow flies), but the rest of you had no such means of travel. Using Fabio and your remaining rations, the group force-marched for 3 days and (with some short cuts courtesy of Clyde) made it to the rendezvous point in Bastion with 2 days to spare. Nars arrived in the Vistanti camp to find Madam Eva expecting him, as precognitives tend to do. She had the necessary potions crafted to for the heroes return to Ravenloft, with the one downside that its efficacy began to fade on creation, not consumption... so the clock was once again ticking. Nars was able to get some answers (or answer-adjacent responses) to several topics: Should he trust the Vistanti (perhaps), what was the red heart in the tower at Castle Ravenloft (unsure, but its related to the Amber Temple), where are the remaining artifacts (probably in the castle). She also gifted Nars a fortune to unseal in a time of need. When he started to head off to Phandalin to see his mom before returning to the bleak plane... Madam Eva informed that she was already in camp, having been a frequent gift-bearing visitor, trying to ensure that they were doing everything possible to help her son. Back in Blackaxe, Selgaard lightened his coin purse in a properly nasty brothel. Everyone else made a joint visit to the Temple of Bahamut to see what Dame Fafnir was up to, and Ulfar was disappointed to discover that she was still in the field... wearing the magical armor he had gifted the Temple. So much for getting it back. After a quick huddle the Acolytes were also able to offer you the use of some additional pieces from the armory on loan, but nobody wanted to take them up on that just yet. Clyde met with a strange girl at the Temple, looking for additional information about Argynvost; he didn't learn much, but the girl did call him "The Planeswalker." Sir Quintus spent a big chunk of coin hiring some mercenaries to look into a few outstanding problems that The Heroes of Thundertree weren't able to handle, and it's a good thing too -- it seems like an overlapping timeline with alternate characters may eventually emerge. When Nars finally made it to Bastion, he caught the tail end of Ulfar's shopping trip and added a few of his own requests to the inventory. Back at the Temple of Bahamut, Nars also traded 2 dragon-forged artifacts for a new Breastplate, which will hopefully keep him safe as you return to Ravenloft and tackle Strahd. Finally, as the full moon rose, it was bottoms up! Everyone (even Clyde, who took his potion to the top of The Mountain) drank the Vistani blood brew with a few shavings from the Argynvostholt dining room table in it, and faded into the Mist... Around Town... Uriel Septimus Mede won the Pelor Plunge! He spoke of his greatness being a common trait of citizens of the Empire, where he invited others to come join him. A procession of female drow arrived in Bastion by boat and made their way up the mountain. Days later they left... with some swaddled infants in tow. King Bharrig, when asked what the significance of this was, guwaffed. The near constant blizzard that circles the Eye of the Storm in the Frozen Wastes has gotten notably thicker... and reversed directions, to swirl clockwise? What's THAT about? Halia Thornton is threading the needle in trade negotiations. With both Blackaxe and Avarus seeking the output of Wyvern Tor mining operations, she is getting a premium for the wares. In both cases, though, the Phandalin Defense Force is on double duty protecting caravans and patrolling roads. Sir Mungo is personally conducting an audit of guests at the Isle Des Chats. The catfolk in charge have neglected to do proper bookkeeping, and there is an unreasonable amount of people who are listed as checking in, but then never leaving.